Eileen Hutcheson did not depend on the ocean to deposit its treasures on the
beach for the September 12th Beach Walk. Accompanied by a grab-bag of
oceanic surprises, Eileen guided the group along the St. Simons Island
seashore and explained how the beach had accreted and eroded over time.
Pausing occasionally, Eileen would reach into her bag of goodies and produce
common and not-so-common beach finds to pass around as she told the story of
the creature that produced it. The different lacey egg casings from the
whelks and conchs were a popular item that many had seen on the beach but
never knew how they were made or the purpose they served.

The great mystery of why we don't see many sea shells on our beaches was
finally revealed. Pointing out to the breaking seas on the offshore
sandbars, Eileen explained about how the energy of the waves was dissipated
and the onshore movement of shells slowed, providing us with smooth
fine-grained sandy beaches that are pleasant to bare feet.

The fact that many shells are deposited just offshore of our beaches was
discovered during the studies for the ill-fated beach renourishment
project. Thankfully, citizens like Eileen spoke up and saved our beautiful
natural beaches from being covered in shells that feel like razors to bare
feet.